(Israel Hayom) Dan Margalit and Yoni Hirsch - Intelligence recently provided to the U.S. by Israel regarding developments in Iran, and threats of the use of force by the Israel Defense Forces against Tehran's nuclear program, played a central role in the uptick of comments by senior U.S. defense officials against Iran this week. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey said that Iran's drive for nuclear weapons would be a "red line" and that a military option against Iran "is executable." Furthermore, the assessment in Israel is that several other U.S. allies in the Middle East have made it clear to Washington that if it does not seriously intend to stop Tehran's nuclear march, these countries would have to conduct a reassessment of their strategic positions - messages that apparently impacted on U.S. defense officials. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak noted, "The change in American statements on Iran is a very important development."
2011-12-23 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive